Event Horizon: Victoria's Ruse
by AMusefan77
Summary: One shot companion piece to Event Horizon: Edward's New Moon. Victoria's POV of how she led Edward to believe she was in Brazil, newborn reasearch, and how she got Laurent to help her. Canon. Rated for a little language.


**Victoria's Ruse**

**This one shot goes along with Chapter 8 of Event Horizon. All the usual disclaimers apply. I own nothing besides a computer and an overactive imagination. Twilight is all SM's. I'm just playing. **

I watched from the large plate glass window as his plane took off into the moonless night sky. The stupid boy caught the red-eye to Rio with just minutes to spare. I made sure I left him just enough information to figure out that I'd used the name "Brooke Robertson" to buy a ticket for the 6:45pm flight. He picked up my scent at the airport and assumed I'd boarded it.

I hadn't. I laughed to myself as I thought of him trying to find me on the other side of the equator. By the time his lengthy plane ride was over, he'd be on another continent and I'd be even farther away. I was still in Miami waiting to board a flight that would take me back to Dallas. Backtracking would keep me from laying a new scent trail somewhere else.

_Hope you enjoy sucking monkeys dry in the rainforest alone, kid. What a fucking idiot__**.**_I thought.

I smiled as I thought of how the scum-loving bastard had _really_ taken the bait…fallen for all my traps.

I'd suspected someone was following me for a few weeks but I hadn't been totally sure. I started leaving messy crime scenes behind me, hoping to catch my shadow cleaning up after me. But it wasn't until I caught his scent just outside of Boulder that I had proof. I started moving south so he'd get scared and leave me alone. I figured he'd know I was on to him and take the hint after those accountants in Kansas, but he thought I was just careless.

Did he really think I'd lived nearly 2 centuries by being too fucking sloppy to dispose of my leftovers? My creator taught me to cover my tracks flawlessly when I was just a newborn.

I really wanted to kill Cullen, but I was still too afraid of his big coven to risk it. Since he didn't let up, I decided to lay a false trail and see if he'd take the bait. It was safer to _shake_ him off than _knock_ him off.

He's an idiot, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard to point him in the wrong direction. I'd seen his little human girlfriend's school records and I knew a little bit about her, including her birthday. How convenient that I'd happened upon a human with the same special day as his Bella last fall. As stupid as Edward Cullen is, he's still a vampire. We have perfect memories. He'd surely noticed that Brooke Robertson's birthday was September 13th too. I knew he'd also notice if I used a credit card with her name on it to buy plane tickets a few things for my bogus trip.

I had plenty of platinum credit cards I'd stolen from my meals. Humans could use them to buy their food, but credit cards came _**with**_ my food. I love credit cards. They're like after dinner mints for me. Identity theft is a common practice among our kind, and I knew the Cullens had fake passports and credit cards with aliases too. I was surprised he didn't see through my ruse.

God, was he just stupid, insane or both?

_Both! _I decided.

How else could you explain falling in love with your _**food **_besides insanity? Maybe he'd come down with some kind of strange illness from surviving off of those stomach- turning deer, like the deer version of mad cow disease. Maybe he had an eating disorder for psycho vampires! Could vampires get those?

I snorted to myself at my own joke.

_'Your sense of humor never disappoints me'._ James always said.

The laughter died in my throat.

James.

My creator. My mate. My life.

Gone.

Torn to shreds and burned because of this insane boy, his fucked up family and a human girl. When I'd arrived in Phoenix, the remnants of the fire still smoldered in the darkness. I watched the firemen sifting through the ashes for a long time and I wanted revenge so badly I could barely see.

But even in the haze of my anger and sorrow, I knew it was impossible. It would be suicide to go after a coven of that size. Getting myself killed was the _**LAST**_ thing I would ever do. James once said my instincts for survival were probably better than all of the Volturi guards put together. When he died I'd followed those instincts and decided to go off on my own.

And then this bastard had the balls to try to follow me around! _**He**_was tracking _**me**__!_ Hadn't killing James to save his pathetic mortal girlfriend been enough? My mate was dead because of a human. He was lucky I'd left his family in peace. I could have gone to Italy on the whole coven for exposing us to that talking steak. What the hell did he want?

He'd already taken everything from me.

I'd lost my mate and my only friend to those nasty Elk suckers.

Yeah, thanks to the Cullens I didn't even have Laurent to hunt with anymore. He was staying with that other lunatic coven of human lovers in Alaska. Not that he was strictly following their stupid diet; he still enjoyed the occasional 2-legged brunch. I'd seen him back in September in Canada, where he was eating naturally. I told him I'd missed him, and it would be nice to have him around again. Laurent had lost his mate 35 years ago in a territory dispute in London. He understood my pain, but he'd chosen to go back to Alaska.

I had nothing left.

Edward Cullen still has everything.

He still had his little human, his insane family, and those "vegetarian" friends (as Laurent said they called themselves) in Alaska that had lured my other companion away from me.

The hatred burned me like fire. I had to punish him. Punish all of them, but especially him. Edward Cullen. An involuntary growl rippled through my chest at the thought of his name.

Should _**I**_ follow _**him**_ this time and kill him?

That would probably be too easy! Finding him in Phoenix had been a cinch and he was also the worst tracker in the world. A half-wit human detective could have done a better job of cornering me than he had. He was pathetic. The only reason he'd been able to kill my James was because he had such a large coven behind him. Taking him down would be simple. He was by himself now, so why not? I could go to Brazil after all.

Death was too good for Edward Cullen. He deserved worse than death.

There was only one thing that would be worse than death to a vampire.

I smiled to myself as the image of my perfect revenge played out in my mind like a movie.

I would break each of Bella Swan's frail human bones one by one as I bit and burned her with my venom before I drained her dry. I ached to hear her scream for him and cry out for mercy I wouldn't show her.

My smile widened.

I would not clean up that mess, either. I'd leave the broken pieces of her lifeless body for Edward Cullen to find.

But, how did I get to her?

I couldn't do it alone; the Cullen Coven was still too big, even without Edward.

I would need help.

_"_Flight 546 American Airlines to Dallas-Fort Worth is now boarding"_. _A bland female voice called over the PA system.

I knew there were others in Texas, and I could meet up with them there. Come up with a plan in case I _did_ need to go after the whole coven. I hoped survivors from the Newborn Wars in the south might talk to me. Creating newborns is dangerous. I needed details about how to make and manage them if necessary.

I made it to Dallas without being followed, and I stayed in Texas for nearly a week. Edward had left his car at the DFW airport, so if he did come back this way, he would probably stop and get it. He didn't show.

I got the scoop on the history of newborn turf wars from a woman named Maria in Tucson. Maria talked about various newborn conflicts she'd witnessed with a bloodthirsty enthusiasm even I couldn't match. She told me about pair of mates named Samantha and Matthew who'd survived the guard's purging of Atlanta last year, and I decided to find them.

I traced Samantha and Matthew to Sacramento. The mates were much more reluctant to talk than Maria. For one thing, I could tell they didn't like me, and for another they'd barely made it out of Georgia with their lives. But I stretched the truth and told them I was a friend of Maria's. They were terrified of her. I pressed my advantage and asked questions. Over two weeks had passed by then and there was still no sign of Edward Cullen. He must have given up. That was good. Now I could put my plans into action.

I'd wanted to make sure Cullen wasn't following me before I went to Alaska. And, I had to make sure the Denali coven didn't know I was around either. Approaching Laurent there was risky.

But, it was the least risky part of my plans.

I spent two days near Fairbanks, hoping to pick up his scent. Luck was on my side and I managed to find him on his own. He'd been planning to hunt alone.

"I really have tried to get used to the flavor of herbivores," Laurent said after we'd finished eating. "Irina has been encouraging me to hunt animals about twice a week. She says it is a bit easier when you hunt more often. I just haven't acquired that kind of control yet."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him as we ran through the snow toward Yukon. I shuddered at the idea of eating an Elk. "Seriously…what's the point?"

"It's not compassion for humans that made me want to refrain," Laurent replied with a sigh. "It's the companionship."

"This is about a woman?" I snorted in disbelief. "You would stoop to draining a moose for a girl?"

"Yes," Laurent replied, completely unabashed. "I am happier in Denali than I have been since I lost Yvette."

"Does that mean it's gotten easier for you to cope?" I asked. I didn't see how that was possible.

"Not entirely," Laurent replied with a sad sigh. "It's just less lonely now that I have her to confide in. Irina is intelligent and intriguing, as are her sisters Tanya and Kate. And, the other female who lives with them, Carmen is a wonderful lady as well. Carmen's mate Eleazar used to be a member of the Volturi guard, so I'm in good company.

I gaped at him in shock as I tried to wrap my head around it.

"You're telling me one of your housemates was a member of the guard and now he lives off animals in the snow?" I said skeptically.

"I guess he likes the companionship too," Laurent replied with a shrug and a smile.

I laughed incredulously as we stopped to take in the view of the stars from a snow capped mountain. I had to admit it was a beautiful place to settle down in.

"So what did he do for the guard?" I asked conversationally. I didn't really have much of an interest in this Eleazar, but I was trying to think of a way to bring up the Cullens and I needed a minute to think.

"It's kind of funny in a weird sort of way," Laurent replied. "Eleazar has a talent for finding talent."

"Okay," I said with a confused frown. "How does that work?"

"Well, he used to help the Volturi identify vampires with special abilities for the purpose of aiding the Volturi in conflicts," He replied. "He also helped them find humans who had the potential to possess supernatural gifts, or he would seek out vampires who had special abilities and try to recruit them into service. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd tried to persuade any of the Cullens to join. Carlisle spent several years with the guard, so maybe that's why he never sold them on the idea."

I swallowed the anxiety that caught in my throat. "So, the Cullens are…gifted, huh?" _Fuck._

"Not all of them," Laurent clarified. "Just Edward, Alice and Jasper."

Well this was an unpleasant piece of information, but at least he'd mentioned the Cullens first.

"And what can they do?" I asked attentively. Laurent frowned, lost in thought for a moment.

"Well, I haven't spent enough time around them to totally understand how their gifts work, but I'll try to explain," He said. "Alice is…psychic, I guess. She can predict future events based on the current course of action someone is planning to take, but her visions can change if a person's decision changes or wavers. Jasper can influence the moods of people around him. He senses what a person is feeling; if they are angry, he can calm them down, or if there is a great deal of tension in a room, he can diffuse it. And Edward is a mind reader, but he has to be in close proximity to hear your thoughts."

Well that explained why Edward Cullen was an idiot with no instincts. Who needs to develop any of their other senses when they can read minds? He must rely on his special gift too much; without it he was a moron. It was a good thing I hadn't gotten close enough for him to hear me. This also explained why the Cullens got the best of James. Their special powers were the only reason they'd won. I took some comfort in that. James was a force of nature. It had taken a psychic, a mind reader and a mood manipulator to beat him.

"When did you find out about all this?" I asked sharply.

"Not until after I moved here," Laurent replied defensively. "If I had known about them when James was tracking that human I would have told you." He added.

"I know you didn't betray us for a human," I answered. "Just like I know you'd have found a way to let me know that Edward Cullen was tracking me if you'd had any idea what he was up to."

I studied his face and I was pleased to see this tidbit had taken him off guard. He hadn't known.

"What?" He stammered blankly, his eyes darting around the trees as though he expected Edward Cullen to materialize there.

"Edward Cullen has been tracking me," I replied coolly. "I ditched him a few weeks ago in Miami."

"Edward Cullen was tracking you?" Laurent exclaimed. "Why would he do that?"

He paused thoughtfully for a minute before coming to his own conclusion.

"Surely not to get revenge for the human…" His tone was incredulous. I smiled.

"That's exactly what he was doing," I said bitterly. "Do you think the Denali clan knows anything?"

"I doubt it," He replied with a thoughtful frown. "Irina knows I'm on good terms with you. She would have said something. As far as I know, none of them have heard from the Cullens since they came to visit last fall. They stayed for a couple of weeks and went home. Well, Edward was only here overnight because he said he was going back to his human, but I bet that's when he left to look for you. He asked me about you."

"And what did you tell him?" I asked curiously. Had Laurent helped Cullen find me?

"I told him I'd run into you in Canada without even thinking about it," He said remorsefully. "I was in the room with Jasper and I'll bet he was influencing me. I was trying to be careful not to think about you in front of Edward. I'm sorry."

I waved a hand at him; I could tell he hadn't meant to assist the fool. But I was damn well going to use his regret to my advantage.

"I want to kill Bella Swan." I said flatly. "And I want her to die a slow painful death." _That's an understatement,_ I thought as I imagined how good it would feel to tear her fingernails off before I broke all the bones in her hands.

Laurent looked at me with an expression of confused disbelief.

"I know you think killing her would be the best revenge, but do you really want to risk a fight with a big coven over a mortal? She'll die eventually anyway." Laurent counted reasonably.

"I know I can't take on the Cullens alone," I said significantly.

His face turned from puzzled to wary in a half second. I'd expected that; Laurent was all about self-preservation too. He'd survived a turf war in London 35 years ago that had killed his mate. He would never pick fight he knew he couldn't win.

"One other vampire won't be enough to stop them," Laurent argued apprehensively. "If we weren't outnumbered, I might be willing to help. I also like the life I've made here. The Denali's care very deeply for the Cullens, and to go against them would be a betrayal they couldn't forgive."

"I don't expect you to fight them," I clarified. "I don't want to fight them, either,"(well, I didn't want to fight them alone anyway) "I want revenge, but I don't want to die trying to get it."

The truth was I_ needed_ revenge. I'd needed it ever since the day James had been senselessly murdered for a piece of filth.

"Then what do you want from me?" Laurent said. His face was a little more relaxed but he was still wary.

"I want you to go to Forks and do a little surveillance for me." I replied nonchalantly.

"Why me?" He asked suspiciously. "You are perfectly capable of finding out what you want to know. You learned from the best."

I smiled slightly. Now he was using flattery to try to convince me to do this on my own. He didn't want to get his hands dirty. But I wasn't going to give up.

"Oh I could find out," I agreed. "But not without causing suspicion. The Cullens know you're living with their like-minded friends and they wouldn't be inclined to kill you on sight. You could scope out their house and pretend to be paying a visit. No one would suspect your motives because Edward isn't there to read your mind."

Laurent nodded slowly. "And what exactly do you want me to look for?" He asked.

"I just want you to check the protection around the girl, and nothing more," I replied persuasively. "I want to know if all the others are still in town and who is with her. When I know what I'm dealing with, I can come up with a battle plan."

"And if the others are still there?" He prompted.

I smiled. He was going to say yes.

"Then I'll come with reinforcements." I answered simply.

I didn't want Laurent to know I was planning on making my own reinforcements if necessary. He wouldn't help me if he knew that part of my plan. And if push came to shove, he would sell me out for his own sake. I didn't blame him; I would do the same in a pinch.

"Well," Laurent said hesitantly. "As long as you can be discreet I suppose I can go with you. I'll have to think of something to tell Irina. I can't very well tell her I'm going somewhere to help you."

"You could tell the truth," I reasoned. "Tell her you've been asked to do a favor for an old coven mate. You don't have to tell her names. It's not like you haven't belonged to other covens in your 300 years."

"I don't think that's the best idea," Laurent said pensively. "I think I'll just wait a week and tell her I'm going on another hunting trip. I don't hunt in the area near their home anyway when I want to feed traditionally. It's not as though it would be a long trip if I'm just checking the area out for you, and I will hunt there."

"A week is a long time…" I began, but Laurent interrupted me.

"If you want my help, you will have to allow me to plan accordingly," he interjected. "I understand how you feel about losing James, even though I don't see the appeal of going after the human. But I won't jeopardize the relationships I've built here. The Denalis must never find out what I've done for you. They are loyal to the Cullens."

I nodded. Beggars can't be choosers, can they?

"It's settled then," I said with a smile. "You leave here in a week for your hunting trip and we meet in Vancouver 3 days later. That should give you time."

"Okay."

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

The air in the city must have felt cool to the humans. Even I noticed the wind on my impermeable skin as I ghosted through the dark streets in the wee hours of the morning.

Laurent should have been here two days ago, and I was growing impatient and angry. He'd agreed to help me, but I knew him well enough to know that if he thought the stakes were too high, he'd bail on me.

Had Irina suspected something? Had they heard something from the Cullens? Was Edward Cullen back in Washington?

Could something have happened to Laurent?

Very doubtful; the Cullens wouldn't kill anyone unless they were attacked first, and Laurent had better sense than to start a fight.

I was sick of waiting; it was time to go to Forks myself.

The big white mansion hidden in a sea of tall grass and evergreens wasn't empty but it was definitely vacant. Laurent had been here 4 days ago, but he was the only one of us to walk in these doors for at least 5 months. I ran my fingers absently over the keys of a perfectly tuned ornate grand piano as I took in the opulent living room. The house was so beautiful it might almost be worth giving up the life of a nomad for it. Almost; I would rather live in a cardboard box than eat hoofed mammals.

I went upstairs to the largest bathroom and turned on the taps. Sure enough, the water was still on. So I took a shower and washed my clothes. Afterward I did a little more exploring and found a piece of paper lying on the desk in a huge study full of books.

It was a printout of a webpage on Cornell University. There was a note at the bottom that read;

Doctor Jeffrey Doyle, Director of Undergraduate Biology

10/15/05 RE Assoc. Professor post.

Well, it looked like I knew where the Cullens had moved to. The only question whether or not they had taken the girl with them.

I followed Laurent's scent trail through the forest in the hope of finding out why he hadn't met me in Vancouver. He'd been here to check things out for me, so what was the holdup? But his scent wasn't the only one I found; I could smell the girl. If he already killed her I was going to be pissed. She was all mine. In addition to Laurent and Bella's scents, there was something else…something unpleasant and canine.

As I reached the edges of a circular clearing, a heavy acrid smell hit me full force and I knew I'd never see Laurent again. The fragrance of the pyre was mingled with the girl's sweet floral scent and that strange repulsive dog smell. I followed the odors through a pretty, circular meadow until I found the pile of ash. This was the end of his scent trail. I stared at Laurent's powdered remains. What had killed him? I couldn't smell any other vampires, just the fragrance of the human and that unfamiliar animal.

The animal smell along with huge paw prints to match (some kind of wolf?) went on for about three miles west, and toward the south I could smell the girl. There were broken fern fronds and muddy footprints where she'd fled from the danger.

Laurent hadn't killed her, though he had probably been hunting at the time he encountered her. He'd been attacked by these creatures and she'd escaped somehow.

Bella Swan was alive and here in Forks.

Her coven was gone.

She was unprotected and alone; Edward Cullen left her here to get revenge on me for helping James track her, thinking that I would never return.

Edward Cullen was even dumber than I thought.

Those wolves that had killed Laurent might be a problem if I weren't so good at evasion, but I would get around them. They couldn't be much different than the ones James had seen in Siberia all those years ago.

Bella Swan was all mine.

The hunt begins tonight.

**Well? Please tell me what you think; good, bad or indifferent. Writing Victoria was something new for me and I thought I'd try. I always wished I knew more about her. Thanks again to all of my readers who stuck with me through Edward's story, and to everyone who read this one as well. When I finished this, I anticipated a question and so here's some info I thought you might want:**

**Also, in case you're wondering why that page about Cornell was lying on Carlisle's desk, Alice left it for Bella just in case she decided to try and find them. Alice couldn't tell if she would or not. I know Carlisle would never leave a clue like that lying around. The Cullens are too practiced at hiding to be careless.**


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